The Ontario government is taking a stand for Ontario farmers with the introduction of the Local Food Act at Queen’s Park last week. If it is passed, the act aims to increase local food awareness, access and sales by setting local food goals and targets, as well as increasing the promotion of local products.
However, this act doesn’t take into account the already vast network and infrastructure surrounding local food. Most people are already aware, and interested, in the local food industry. Promotion and advertising are not necessary to encourage sales of local products.
In Ottawa alone, there are many local farmers markets, especially during the summer months. Just outside of Centretown, residents can visit the Brewer Park market or the year-round Parkdale market, as well as the Main Farmers’ Market at St. Paul University. The popularity of these markets shows that people are very willing to buy local, as long as the products are accessible.
Ontario farmers and businesses produce over 200 different commodities available to purchase at markets and grocery stores. For those who can’t make it out to the farmers markets on the weekend, many grocery stores have locally produced foods clearly marked or labelled.
Food like beef, eggs, vegetables and dairy products are produced and sold in the province, sitting on grocery store shelves with a "Made in Canada" or "Foodland Ontario" label stuck to them. Besides grocery stores, many restaurants are also taking part in the local food scene.
For example, seven Centretown restaurants are members of Savour Ottawa, an initiative to develop Ottawa as a culinary destination for local foods and experiences. This means that these restaurants must purchase at minimum 15 per cent of their food costs, or $25,000, directly from local farmers.
Although many people love to buy fresh, local produce, the higher prices of local food can be staggering and may be holding back potential buyers from switching to local food.
If the Ontario government wants to support the local food industry, then they should help even out the cost difference between local products and cheaper imported foods by lessening business costs and investing in local businesses.
The government recently provided the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association with a one-time investment of $10 million to create a risk management fund, a move which will help stabilize pricing for producers and encourage growth in the sector.
As well, $1.5 million worth of grants were given out last September to food suppliers to help offset the higher costs of buying local.
More grants like these should be available to help grocery stores and distributors decide to choose local food over imported products.
The government’s encouragement to buy local in the Local Food Act is commendable, but Ontario products need to be more financially competitive before people will go out of their way to make the switch to buying locally.
Until then, for those willing to go the extra mile and pay an extra buck for their groceries, the local market is ready and waiting.